Christmas 2008

This post is going to be a little mixed up. Christmas day is first and then Christmas Eve.
Matt and I decided that we really enjoy having Christmas morning at our own home so we stayed here. Christmas morning Eston woke up at 3 am asking about Santa. Matt got him back to sleep and we didn't hear from the kids until 8:30 am. It was nice to sleep in a little. The kids were so excited to see what Santa left. When they ran in their eyes lit up. Santa had gotten them SOME of what they wanted. We checked their stockings and also to see if Santa had gotten his cookie and milk.

Matt helped Eston check his stocking. He found a baby Jaguar and a fire truck inside along with an orange and some fruit snacks.



Sammie got some binoculars, Dora slides (for the binoculars), an orange, and some fruits snacks.



Santa left Eston a police car, that when shaken will drive across the floor. He loved it. He also got a book, a game, and a few other small items.



Santa brought Sammie a microphone that she has wanted for a while. She also got a book, a game, and a other small stuff.



Grandma Brenda made both of the older kids some quilts to cuddle in. They spent most of the following week in them.



Papa Dallas and Grandma also gave the kids this huge ball that shrinks down to the size of a soccer ball. Even us adults have a blast with it. Eston was excited when he realized he could fit inside of it.



The twins got some, diapers, socks, and other little items. They didn't need much this year. They mostly slept and would take a peek once in a while. Sammie and Eston were happy to help open Logan and Lucy's gifts.



Later that morning we went to Nana and Grandpa Jim's house for a half Pajama Party Brunch and to open gifts there. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed watching the men install Nana's 46" TV. It was funny to watch them talk in all of the big lingo.



CHRISTMAS EVE. . . .

We went over to Nana and Grandpa Jim's house for dinner. Jana and Mark along with my cousins and Gram and Grandpa Burke where there. We had some good food, and then went for the Nativity. We call it the traveling Nativity. This year we had 3 Mary's, 2 Joseph's, many baby Jesus, and all they did while we read Luke 2 was walk around the room. It was very entertaining.



Eston left his Joseph costume on for about 30 seconds. I am surprised Matt was able to snap a picture.



Before the Nativity took place we had a Christmas Carol sing along. Sammie decided that she needed to dance since she was all dressed up in her princess costume. She asked Matt and they danced to the hymns. It was precious.



What would Christmas be without having a princess or 3 running around yelling "CHEESE". We had a wonderful holiday.

Home Sick

Monday night started out normal. We put the kids to bed at 8:30 and did a little cleaning. At a 11:30, just as my head hit the pillow, I heard Matt yell that he needed me now. I went upstairs to find that Eston, my little boy, had thrown-up for the first time in his life. He is just about 2 1/2 years old. He had no clue what to do with himself. After Matt had taken him and cleaned him up, along with all of the throw-up, Sammie tells me that she feels sick and barely made it to the bathroom to visit the toilet. A little side note, I don't do well at all with Throw-up. Matt is amazing and takes care of 99% of anything that happens with that.

Matt took both kids downstairs to care for them through out the night. Now, you might be saying to yourself right now, "That is so sweet for him to let Brynn get all of that sleep." Oh no, the day before our washing machine broke. So I went with Lucy to my sister's house to do puke laundry until 4:00 am. Matt and I were both haggard by the next morning. Matt even stayed home from work to continue looking after Sammie and Eston, so I could keep the twins seperate from the action. I love that man!!

Here are a few pictures of the patients.



Eston just never quite caught on to the idea of a "throw-up bowl."



He also felt so sick, but wanted to play.



It has been quite the busy three days. We still don't have a washing machine, but at least we don't have stinky throw-up clothes laying around.

Sunday Afternoon photos

On Sunday while we were getting ready for church, Sammie asked if she could wear a flower headband like Lucy. Apparently, we are starting the dressing alike stage. They looked so cute that I had to take their pictures after church; which of course led us into a full blown photo session. I had fun and we got some cute pictures of the twins. Sammie and Eston were so excited that we let them hold Logan and Lucy all by themselves.

2008 Christmas Card

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR to our family and friends! 2008 brought many fun experiences and changes to our family. We went on several family trips to: Bear Lake, Arizona, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, Park City, and the always fun trips to American Falls, Idaho, where Matt’s family lives. We moved from Salt Lake County to Davis County, and added two new family members. We found out in May that we would be expecting Twins. Logan James and Lucy Mae joined our family on Oct. 29^th.

Logan and Lucy – At 7 weeks, continue to grow and are doing great. Logan is pretty laid back. He loves his pacifier, cuddling as close as he can to Lucy, and sleeping. Logan loves to smile at everyone and is content just lying around. Lucy is very alert. She looks just like Sammie did as a baby and has a very similar personality. She doesn’t like to be confined and when she is awake wants to be where the party is. Although she is a good sleeper, she loves to be awake as much as she can. Lucy likes her food and is gaining on her brother. Logan and Lucy are well loved by their older siblings, and are very patient with all the attention that they receive.

Eston - 2 years old; he is our little love bug. He must hug and kiss everyone upon them entering or exiting the room. Eston has a big heart and is instant friends with anyone. He is the first to share what he has if he knows that it will make you happy. Eston’s interests lie in 3 things: cars, animals, and books. Any mixture of those and he is over the moon with excitement. He is very HIGH energy, but when it is time to go to sleep he is more than happy to go and jump in bed (even if I forget to put him there). His favorite phrase as of the last 3 months is “No, self”. Anyone that has heard this is probably ready for him to move on.

Samantha - 3 years old going on 13. She loves her younger siblings and is constantly playing mother to them. Sammie is our little drama queen and has an imagination that would amaze you. We are always surprised at the things that she had learned and she tells us that she learned it in school, now, if only she actually was enrolled in school. Her current loves are anything princess, dress-ups, dancing, and cooking with mom. Sammie is a big help to our family and wants to make everyone happy.

Brynn – would describe our home as a very happening place. She is busy raising 4 kids under the age of 4 and there is always something to do. Her biggest outing is going to her parents’ home for the day. It just is not possible to do much more than that with all 4 kids. Brynn says has always worked better under pressure. It keeps her motivated and fills her day. It’s hard to be lazy with this level of responsibility and we would have it no other way than Crazy. There is never a dull moment!

Matthew – currently working at MHTN Architects. He has been taking his Architecture exams over this last year and working hard towards being a licensed Architect. He will finish his internship in Fall of 2010. When Matt isn’t at work he is kept busy playing horsey, wrestling, playing hide and seek, reading books, changing diapers, feeding bottles, or whatever crazy ideas he has come up with to entertain the troops. He is an amazing husband father and makes Brynn’s responsibility as a mom really easy.

We hope that this Christmas season finds everyone well. We have felt very blessed this year with great family and friends. We have had a lot of support and would like to thank all those that have continued to give your support.

Thanksgiving Pictures!!!

When the twins were only a week old we took them to have their newborn pictures done together. It was a lot of fun. These are two of the shots we had taken.





For the last 3 years, Matt's parents and siblings come down and hang out on the day after Thanksgiving. We take family photos and eat good food. These are a few of the shots that our family had taken. I won't post the actual family ones since they are probably going to be used for Christmas Cards.







Four kids is a lot of work, but I love the chaos that it brings. I think I will keep them.

Temple Square tradition

Tonight we went to Temple Square to see the lights and the multiple Nativity sets. I asked Sammie if she was excited to see all the lights and her reply was, "Actually, I can't wait to see Jesus in his stick nest."

It's nice to know one of us is focused on the right things.





It was nice to spend time as a family and talk about the true meaning of Christmas!!!

Nap time

I have always loved that Eston will go put himself to sleep if he is tired. It really is funny and kind of nice. Eston also is an amazing help!! He loves to close drawers, put things in their place, and his favorite is helping me with the laundry. Today I left him to unload the clothes into the hamper. When I walked back into the room, I found him curled up snuggling with the warm laundry. I'm just glad his sister didn't find him first.

Isn't he just adorable!!!